01/07/2025
***😳 Final Report ***
N8225N Piper PA28 Osage Beach Missouri 13 JUL 2023
3 POB - 2 Fatal & 1 Serious Injuries
Pilot Flight Time: 240 hours (Total, all aircraft), 165 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft)
On July 13, 2023, about 1157 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140 airplane, N8225N, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident in Osage Beach, Missouri. The pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries. One passenger sustained serious injuries.
The pilot flew the airplane from its home base at the Carrollton Memorial Airport (K26), Carrollton, Missouri, to the Grand Glaize-Osage Beach Airport (K15), Osage Beach, Missouri. The airplane arrived at K15 on July 12, 2023, about 1030. According to the airport manager, the airplane did not refuel at the airport.
The purpose of the flight was to take the two passengers on a sightseeing flight in the local area to view scenery around the Lake of the Ozarks. According to the owner of the airplane, the airplane should have had about 25 gallons of fuel onboard for the flight. The surviving passenger reported that the flight was going to last about 30 minutes.
During the preflight inspection of the airplane, the pilot did not mention any concerns with the airplane to the passenger. The pilot did not ask the two passengers for their weights before departing, nor did the pilot conduct a safety briefing with the two passengers. The pilot was sitting in the front left seat, the surviving passenger was in the front right seat, and the other passenger was in the rear left seat. The two passengers did not use the available lap belt restraint systems for the flight. The passenger stated that he did not recall if the pilot used a checklist after they boarded the airplane. He also stated that he does not recall if the pilot adjusted the manual trim before or during the takeoff.
The airplane departed from runway 32 at K15. During the takeoff, it seemed like the airplane was not climbing as much as it s